Robert Davi

Robert John Davi (born June 26, 1951) Over the course of his acting career, Davi has performed in more than 130 films. Among his most known roles are opera-singing Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, FBI Special Agent Johnson in Die Hard (1988), James Bond villain Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill (1989), police deputy chief Phil Heinemann in Predator 2 (1990) and strip club manager Al Torres in Showgirls (1995). On television, he portrayed FBI Special Agent Bailey Malone in the NBC television series Profiler (1996–2000).

Classically trained as a singer, Davi launched his professional singing career in 2011. His first album, Davi Sings Sinatra – On the Road to Romance, hit No. 6 on the Billboard jazz charts. Praised for his strong baritone voice and vocal interpretations, Davi debuted as a headliner at The Venetian Las Vegas six months after the record was released.

In 2016, Davi replaced Jerry Doyle as radio host for a nationally syndicated radio program on Talk Radio Network.

Early life Robert Davi was born on June 26, 1951, in Astoria, Queens, New York, the son of Maria and Sal Davi. His grandfather, Franco, enlisted in the US Army after emigrating and served in World War I. He received an Oak Leaf Cluster for his services.

Davi spoke Italian during his childhood. Davi studied with acting coach Stella Adler when he moved to Manhattan. During this time he was also a member of the Actor’s Studio, where he studied with Lee Strasburg. Die Hard, Showgirls, Son of the Pink Panther, and in the Bond film Licence to Kill (1989) as the villain Franz Sanchez, a South American drug lord and murderer. During the 1990s, he played the role of FBI detective Bailey Malone on the television series Profiler. He also starred in comedic films, including the 2002 movies The 4th Tenor and The Hot Chick. The year he also produced and was lead actor in the independent film The Hitters.

In 2014, Davi appeared as Goran Vata in The Expendables 3. In 2015, Davi appeared in a music video for Bob Dylan's recording of "The Night They Called It a Day", from Dylan's album Shadows in the Night, a selection of songs which had been recorded by Frank Sinatra. Rolling Stone suggested that Davi's role in the video may be a nod towards Davi's having made his acting debut alongside Sinatra in the crime film Contract on Cherry Street, and Davi's release of his own album of Sinatra covers. In 2014 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Long Island Film and TV Foundation.

In 2015, he interpreted Gabriele Tinti's poetry giving voice to the Boxer at Rest at the Getty Museum. As of 2021, he had acted in more than 160 films and television shows.

Directing

Davi is the owner and founder of Sun Lion Films. The film was screened internationally and won awards at Queens International Film Festival, , Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festiva and the Festival international du film de comédie de l'Alpe d'Huez. In 2011, David sold an original screenplay entitled The Voice to Atmosphere Entertainment MM. The production company said of Davi’s anticipated role in the film that “The character that he will portray is so impassioned and obsessed with finding the secret to Sinatra’s voice that it brings him to the brink of insanity.”

In 2017, a documentary entitled Davi’s Way, about Davi’s real life performance of Sinatra’s work, was premiered at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival. Davi directed his third film, My Son Hunter, it was released on September 7, 2022. He was approached in 2021 to direct the film by documentary filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, which focuses on the relationship between Hunter Biden and his father.

Recording

In high school, Davi was praised for his singing, and auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera after being awarded first place at the New York State School Music Association's Solo Competition, where he sang Vincent Youman's "Without A Song". He subsequently received classical training with vocal teachers Samuel Margolis and Danial Ferro of Juilliard and Tito Gobbi. Davi damaged his voice and later explained that he was a baritone with the "heart of a tenor and had pushed too hard, too early".

Davi began to focus again on singing in 2011, and worked with Gary Catona as he prepared to record his first children's album.

With a thirty-piece orchestra, Davi recorded the album at the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood. The album was produced by Phil Ramone, engineered by Dan Wallin, and mixed by Al Schmitt. The album, Davi Sings Sinatra -- On The Road To Romance, was released on October 24, 2011, and garnered positive reviews. Jazztimes called Davi Sings Sinatra "uniformly impressive", and critic Don Heckman wrote in the Orange County Register that "there are, of course, dozens of Sinatra imitators and simulators. But what Davi does is a whole different matter. A tribute? Yes, indeed; all that and more." AllMusic noted that "Davi makes no attempt to copy Sinatra's vocal sound ... Rather, he is his own singer." The album reached the Top 10 on the Billboard jazz charts.

In December 2012, Davi appeared along with Roger Cicero in the French/German Arte TV program Durch die Nacht mit … The episode was shot in the Little Italy area of New York City and featured conversation between Cicero and Davi and solos of Sinatra standards by both performers. In December 2013, Davi released a Christmas single, "Mistletoe and Holly", with all proceeds benefiting The Salvation Army. During his Sinatra performances, which he has toured with, he has a selection of 300 songs to choose from depending on the audience and mood in the room. He has been called one of the premiere Frank Sinatra cover acts in the United States, with the Huffington Post calling him “A legend in the making” in 2013.

Davi has lent his voice to political ads, including Carly Fiorina's "Demon Sheep" attack ad, "Hot Air: The Movie", and others produced by media consultant Fred Davis.

Davi was chosen by the United Nations to celebrate the Transformative Power of Music at the General Assembly in New York, in June 2015 – and again for the 70th Anniversary Celebration of the UN in September 2015.

Davi was chosen to tribute Sinatra's 100th birthday for the July 4 PBS special; it was watched by 500,000 people outside the Capitol Building in DC and 15 million viewers. They have four children together.

Political views Davi is a right wing political conservative, often speaking at Republican Party gatherings and expressing far-right views on immigration. He has been invited to comment on numerous political shows and backed John McCain during his presidential campaign. He narrated several film montages that aired during the 2008 Republican National Convention. Davi has spoken at numerous Conservative Political Action Conferences in Washington, D.C. He was a frequent guest on Fox News's late-night satire program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. Davi endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, again in 2020, and again in 2024. . He has issued statements supporting fellow conservative celebrities, including Jon Voight.

Davi is an outspoken political conservative whose commentary on immigration, integration, and Islam has drawn significant public backlash. In a November 2015 op-ed for far-right Breitbart News, Davi argued that Islam requires a "reformation", expressed support for the condemnation of "all Muslims", and advocated for a total suspension of immigration to the United States until incoming immigrants are fully assimilated.

In July 2026, Davi generated widespread controversy after posting a highly hostile video targeting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The dispute arose after a City Hall map of "immigrant enclaves" mistakenly omitted the historic neighborhood of Little Italy. In the video, Davi repeatedly insulted the mayor as a "jerk", a "garbage man", and a "leftist Marxist Communist" before threatening to spit on Mamdani, and telling Mamdani, who immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda as a child, to "go back to where you belong". Davi further stated, "I hope every New York Italian American and Irish American spits on you when they see you," and proposed a constitutional amendment to prevent first-generation immigrants from holding public office. Critics and political commentators widely condemned Davi's rhetoric as xenophobic, Islamophobic, and an incitement to harassment.

Philanthropy Davi has been active in various children’s non-profits.

Awards and honors For his contributions to the Canadian Italian community, Davi was added to Toronto's Italian Walk of Fame in 2013.

He was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Al Torres in Showgirls (1995).

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1984 City Heat Nino 1985 The Goonies Jake Fratelli 1986 Raw Deal Max Keller 1987 Wild Thing "Chopper" 1988 Action Jackson Tony Moretti Die Hard FBI Special Agent Johnson Traxx Aldo Palucci 1989 Licence to Kill Franz Sanchez 1990 Peacemaker Sergeant Frank Ramos Deceptions Jack "Harley" Kessler Maniac Cop 2 Detective Sean McKinney Predator 2 Deputy Chief Phil Heinemann Amazon Dan 1991 White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd Charlie "Lucky" Luciano The Taking of Beverly Hills Robert Masterson Legal Tender Fix Cleary Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue "Sully" Sullivan 1992 Christopher Columbus: The Discovery Martín Alonso Pinzón Center of the Web Richard Morgan Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence Detective Sean McKinney 1993 Night Trap Detective Mike Turner Son of the Pink Panther Hans Zarba 1994 No Contest Sergeant Crane Cops and Robbersons Horace Osborn 1995 Delta of Venus The Collector Showgirls Al Torres The Dogfighters Rowdy Welles Cyber Vengeance R.D. Crowley 1996 An Occasional Hell State Trooper Abbott 1997 The Bad Pack McQue 2001 Soulkeeper Mallion 2002 The Sorcerer's Apprentice Merlin, Milner The 4th Tenor Lerra The Hot Chick Stan, April's Dad Hitters Nick Also producer 2003 One Last Ride Father 2004 Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss Ivan Nagy 2005 In the Mix "Fish" 2007 The Dukes Danny Also directorial debut, screenwriter and producer 2008 An American Carol Aziz American Summer Himself 2009 The Butcher Murdoch Ballistica Macarthur Also executive producer 2010 Magic Man Simpson Game of Death Frank Smith Magic David Ortero Also director and producer 2011 Kill the Irishman Ray Ferritto Swamp Shark Sheriff Watson 2012 The Iceman Leo Merks Based on Anthony Gaggi 2013 Doonby Sheriff Woodley Blood of Redemption Hayden 2014 Black Rose Captain Frank Dalano A Long Way Off Frank The Expendables 3 Goran Vata Lost Time Xavier Reed Also executive producer 2015 Sicilian Vampire Salvatore "Big Sal" 2016 Criminal Admiral Lance Uncredited 2018 Bachelor Lions Maurice 2019 Mob Town Vito Genovese 2020 Roe v. Wade William J. Brennan Jr. 2022 The Man Who Drew God Lawyer My Son Hunter Director 2023 Inside Man Anthony 'Nino' Gaggi The Engineer Senator David Adler 2024 Bardejov Refuel Lowy Reagan Leonid Brezhnev TBA Bad News on the Doorstep Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 1977 Contract on Cherry Street Mickey Sinardos, Greek Hijacker TV movie 1978 Charlie's Angels Ritchie Episode: "Mother Angel" 1979 From Here to Eternity Guard TV miniseries The Legend of the Golden Gun William Quantrill TV movie Lou Grant Hector Episode: "Hector" The Incredible Hulk Rader Episode: "The Slam" Barnaby Jones Pete Cerilla Episode: "False Witness" Trapper John, M.D. Officer Ed Buxton Episode: "Licensed to Kill" 1980 Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story Hubbard TV movie 1981 Dynasty Amos Episode: "The Honeymoon" Shannon Mel Episode: "Gotham Swansong" The Gangster Chronicles Vito Genovese TV miniseries 1982 St. Elsewhere Parick 2 episodes T. J. Hooker Joe 'The Barber' Picartus, Tom Warfield 2 episodes The Powers of Matthew Star Zealotta Episode: "The Italian Caper" Hill Street Blues Stan Mizell Episode: "Stan the Man"1983The OptimistThe CabbieEpisode: "Burning Rubber" 1983–1984 The Fall Guy Scar De Bond, Dan Kowal 2 episodes 1984 Hart to Hart Tony Bairos Episode: "Always, Elizabeth" The A-Team Boyle Episode: "Sheriffs of Rivertown" 1985 Hunter Sonny Dunbar Episode: "Million Dollar Misunderstanding" 1986 The Equalizer Michael Riegert Episode: "Wash Up" 1988 L.A. Law Dominic Simonetti Episode: "Leapin' Lizards" 1989 Wiseguy Albert Cerrico 5 episodes 1993 FBI: The Untold Stories Joe Pistone 2 episodes 1994 Blind Justice Alacran TV movie 1995 VR.5 Simon Buchanan Episode: "Simon's Choice" 1996–2000 Profiler FBI Agent Bailey Malone 84 episodes 1999 Batman Beyond Dr. Mike Morgan / Magma Voice, episode: "Heroes" 1999–2000 The Pretender Agent Bailey Malone 2 episodes 2004 Karen Sisco Denton Episode: "No One's Girl" 2004–2008 Stargate: Atlantis Acastus Kolya 6 episodes 2005 Breaking Vegas The Narrator 4 episodes 2006 Huff Dickins Episode: "Which Lip Is the Cervical Lip?" 2010 Nip/Tuck Christian's Dad Episode: "Christian Troy II" Criminal Minds Detective Kurzbard 2 episodes 2014 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Marvin Braxton Episode: "Uninvited" Asteroid vs. Earth General Masterson TV movie 2015 Hell's Kitchen Himself Reality TV series 2021–2022 Paper Empire Lawrence Fintch 11 episodes

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2002 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez Disney's PK: Out of the Shadows General Zondag 2004 Halo 2 Rtas 'Vadumee 2006 Scarface: The World Is Yours Alejandro Sosa 2007 Halo 3 Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum 2021 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Colonel Juan Carcia Cortez Archival recordingsRemaster of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City only

Music videos Year Title Role 2008 "Burnin' Up" Jonas Brothers 2015 "The Night We Called It a Day" Bob Dylan "Sopra la media" J-Ax